beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro (2004)

The Anker Soundcore Life Q20 is one of the very best Over-Ear Headphones that one can get for around $65. The beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro (2004), however, while a very good choice at its $190 price point, falls just short of being remarkable.

The Anker Soundcore Life Q20 has done great in quite a few roundups from some of the most highly trusted sources available, such as Wirecutter (NYTimes), Wirecutter, Rtings, and TechGearLab, which perform high-quality in-depth testing. It got awarded the "Best noise-cancelling headphones under $100" title by Wirecutter (NYTimes), "Best noise-cancelling headphones under $100" by Wirecutter, and "Best Budget Over-Ear Headphones" by Rtings in their respective roundups. Earning that much praise from such respected sources is undoubtedly an impressive accomplishment.

Returning to the beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro (2004), it managed to impress reviewers from two sources that are considered to be some of the most highly trusted on the internet, thanks to their in-depth hands-on testing - SoundGuys and Rtings. It performed great in their respective Over-Ear Headphone roundups - it was named "Best comfort" by SoundGuys and "Runner Up for Best Open-Back Headphones Under $200 - More Comfortable Alternative" by Rtings. That's quite an endorsement, especially coming from such high-quality sources.

When we thoroughly analyzed their review scores, we learned that all of the sources that tested both Over-Ear Headphones, including Rtings, preferred the Anker Soundcore Life Q20 over the beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro (2004).

We also took a look at which sources they managed to impress the most. The Anker Soundcore Life Q20 was liked best by TechHive, which gave it a score of 8, while the beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro (2004) got its highest, 9.5, score from Head-fi.

Lastly, in order to better compare them to the rest of their competition, we averaged out their review scores. The beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro (2004) managed to get 8.1 out of 10 - considerably better than the 7.5 review average of Over-Ear Headphones in general - whereas the Anker Soundcore Life Q20 earned 7.3 points.

It should be said that doing a direct Anker Soundcore Life Q20 vs. beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro (2004) comparison might not be entirely fair due to the difference in their prices - some sources don't put much weight on value for money and thus tend to give better review scores to more expensive products.